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Amazing photos: The Webb Telescope captures the first direct image of an exoplanet

2022-09-03 11:01:44Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Amazing photos: The Webb Telescope captures the first direct image of an

Astronomers have captured the first direct image of an exoplanet with the James Webb Space Telescope.

The exoplanet, or planet outside our solar system, is a gas giant about 6 to 12 times the mass of Jupiter. The planet, called HIP 65426 b, is about 15 to 20 million years old, a "baby" planet compared to Earth, which is 4.5 billion years old.

The exoplanet is located about 385 light years from Earth.

The planet can be seen in four different bands of infrared light as picked up by Webb's various instruments.

"This is a transformative moment, not just for Webb, but for astronomy in general," Sasha Hinkley, associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, said in a statement.

The exoplanet was first discovered in 2017 using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and its SPHERE instrument, located in Chile. The instrument took images of the planet then through short infrared wavelengths, but Webb's ability to see longer infrared wavelengths could shed light on new details.

The exoplanet is about 100 times farther from its host star than Earth is from the sun. Some of Webb's instruments are armed with coronagraphs, or masks that can block starlight, enabling the telescope to capture direct images of exoplanets.

"Taking this image felt like digging for space treasure. At first all I could see was light from the star, but with careful image processing I was able to remove that light and discover the planet," said

Aarynn Carter, head of imaging analysis and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

While the Hubble Space Telescope was the first to capture direct images of exoplanets, Webb's infrared exploration is just beginning.

The telescope has already shared the first spectrum of an exoplanet revealing a signature of water in its atmosphere and found the first clear evidence of carbon dioxide in an exoplanet's atmosphere.

"I think what's most exciting is that we're just getting started. There are many more images of exoplanets to come that will shape our overall understanding of their physics, chemistry and formation. We may even discover planets of previously unknown," said Carter.

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